Mower.



' No. 703,5l3. f Patented July I, I902.

J. u. ADAMS & s. mum.

MOWER.

(Application filed July 21, 1900.

(No Model.) 3 'SheetsSheet I.

TNE ucnms' PETERS 120.. wuoroumu, wAsmNc'ron. n. c.

No. 703,5l3f

Patented July I, 1902.

J. [1. ADAMS &. S. HDUGH.

I 0 W E R. Application filed July 21, 1900.

3 Shp e'is-Sheek 2.

(l0 Model.)

' Tu: norms puns my PNDYO-L|THO., msmuurom u. c.

Patented July I, I902.

No. 703,5l3.

J. 0. ADAMS. &. S. HOUGl-l.

MOWER.

(Application filed July 91, 1900.)

3 Sheets-Shut 3.

(in Model.)

w mam m4 EW mm me UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS AND SAMUEL I-IOUGH, OF ATOO, NEW JERSEY.

MOWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 703,513, dated July 1, 1902. A

Application filed July 21, 1900.

To (ZZZ whom, it vnay concern.- I

Be it known that we, JOHN QUINCY ADAMS and SAMUEL HOUGH, citizens of the United States, and residents of the village of-Atco, county of Camden, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful 1m provements in Mowers, of which-the following is a clear, full, and sufficient specification, reference being had to the drawings annexed.

In our device horizontally-rotating knives are used as the cutting meansfand are rotated by suitable gearing from driving-wheels.

Figure 1 is a plan view of ourinvented device. Figs. 2 and 3 are detail views of the ratchet mechanism. Fig. 4 is a detail view illustrating the action of the rotary knives on the stationary knife. Fig.5 is a view of a modification, and Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the device of Fig. 1 with the rotating knives except two removed.

The wheels 2 2, bearing the blades 3 3 3, 85c. are set on the forward'part of the main frame and rotate in a substantially horizontal plane. The axes of the wheels 2 2 are preferably 10- cated at such distance'apart that the blades 3 3 of one wheel will not overlap the blades of the other as the wheels rotate, as shown. The driving mechanism for these wheels 2 2 keeps them in positive connection with each other, and hence preserves the interval be-.

tween these knives 3 3. We use for this mechanism the shaft 7, provided with the bevel-wheels 6 6,which engage with the bevelwheels 5 5, which drive the wheels 2 2. It will readily be seen that the rapidity of the movement of the knives 3 3 3 3 through the herbage tobe cutis greatest where the knives project outward from the machine at right angles with the direction of the machines forward movement, where their movement is equal to their angular movement plus the forward movement of the machine, and is slowest where they point inward, where their movement is their angular movement less the forward movement of the machine. Accordingly we give the knives during the slower portion of their movement a shearing movement byplacing across the frame the stationary knife 9, which the knives 3 3 3 slide upon with a shearing action. We drive the shaft 7 by a suitable gearing from the shaft 24', as by the sprocket wheels 27 and 23 on the shafts Serial No. 24,355. (No model.)

7 and 24, respectively, and the chain 22. The chain 22 connects the sprocket-wheels 23 and 27 above mentioned. The shaft 24 is driven by the driving-wheels 26 26, which are connected therewith through a suitable ratchet mechanism. This mechanism is constituted as follows: The shaft 24 is revolubly mounted in the frame,,being held in place by the collars 25 25. Upon this shaft are mounted the drive-wheels 26 26, so that they can turn independently thereof except when prevented by the ratchet mechanism, in the hubs of which wheels are the sockets 34 34, (see Figs. 2 and 3,) which contain the plungers 32 32, pressed by springs 33 33 toward the shaft 24 and engaging with a ratchet-wheel 30 thereon. The knife 9, which, as shown, is secured to arms or extensions of the main frame in front of the axes of the wheels 2 2, may in many cases be omitted, since it is only required because the herbage might not be cut by the blades or knives where they move through it more slowly.

The operation of the device is as follows: As the machine moves forward the drivewheels drive the wheels 2 2 through the intermediate gearing. The knives 3 3 3 3 on wheels 2 2 cut the herbage by a sickle action, which owing to the rapidity of their movement and the fact that only the end of the blade of the knife will usually do the cutting will bevery eifective. At the portion of the course of the knives where they slide upon the fixed knife 9 the cutting will be in the nature of a shearing action, thus insuring a cutting where the blades of the knives move most slowly through the herbage. When the machine is moved backward, the drive-wheels alone revolve, and when the machine turns the shaft 21 moves with the one of the drive wheels turning the most rapidly if either of them is moving forward. 7

A modification is shown in Fig. 5, in which a single wheel 43 is provided with knives 42 42 and is connected through the bevel-wheels 46 and 50 and chain 44 and sprocket-wheels 43 and 45 with the shaft-'52, which is rotated by one of the drive-wheels53 53. The object of the large sweep of the knives 42 42 42 and the decided difierence in size -of the bevel wheels and the sprocket-wheels is to so speed up the knives that they will out throughout their course. The knives in this and in the first-described form of our device are so set that they slant toward the direction of the motion of the knife-carrying wheehthns drawing the edge of the blade over the herbage to be cut.

Having now described our invention, What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- l. The combination of a pair of drivewheels, a horizontal shaft, ratchet mechanisms connecting said Wheels to said shaft, disks revolvingin a horizontal plane, knives secured to the upper side of the said disks and having their cutting edges inclined outwardly and in the direction of the disks rotation, a driving mechanism between said disks and the said shaft, a straight cutter-bar located with its cutting edge substantially tangential to said disks, and extending transversely of the machine; substantially as described.

2. The combination of a pair of drivewheels, a horizontal shaft, ratchet mechanisms connecting said Wheels to said shaft, disks revolving in a horizontal plane, knives secured to the u pper surface of said disks and having a cutting edge inclined outwardly and in the direction of the disks rotation, connecting mechanism between said disks, sprocket- Wheels on said connecting mechanism, and on said shaft, a drive-chain connecting said sprocket-wheels, and a straight cutter-bar with its cutter edge substantially tangential to the disks and extending across the machine substantially as described.

3. The combination of a pair of drivewheels, a horizontal shaft, ratchet mechanisms connecting said Wheels to said shaft, disks revolving in horizontal planes knives secured to the upper side of said disks and a portion of said knives lying in a plane parallel with but below the plane of revolution of said disks, and a straight cutter-bar located with its cutter edge substantially tangential. to said disks and extending transversely of the machine; substantially as described.

In Witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands this 15th day of June, 1900.

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. SAMUEL I-IOUGH. Witnesses:

GEO. W. REED, MARK WILKs COLLET. 

